"Downfall" Notes 5/HW 9

Totalitarianism:

• Goebbels says he had conquered Berlin against communism years ago- referring to his role in propaganda? If so, this shows how the Nazis had control over people's beliefs (anti-communism)
  
• People killed themselves for the state even after Hitler's death.

Opposition:

• Some of Hitler's most trusted officials disobeyed some of his orders
• Germans saw committing suicide as favorable compared to falling into the hands of the Russians

Limitations of the Film as a Source:

• Some of the accounts may have twisted the truth in favor of those who gave them. For example, the doctor may have told his story in a way that made him look like a better person than he really was.
• Certain details were almost definitely added in, and might be mistakenly thought of as historically accurate.